Livestock Nutritionist / Animal Scientist — Career Preview

Balance diets to keep herds healthy and profitable

Livestock nutritionists formulate and optimize feed rations for cattle, swine, poultry, and other animals. They analyze forage quality, balance nutrients by production stage, troubleshoot performance issues, and help producers improve animal health, welfare, and profitability through science-based feeding programs.

A day in the life

You pull forage samples at a dairy farm at dawn, review lab results and reformulate a TMR over coffee, visit a feedlot to troubleshoot low gains using body condition scores and feed analysis, present a cost-saving byproduct ration to a beef producer, and wrap up by updating performance reports for a long-term client.

Quick facts

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